


The Baby

by LeelaSmall



Category: The Amazing World of Gumball
Genre: Birth and labor, F/M, References to Monty Python, Shower Sex, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 09:43:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21242057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeelaSmall/pseuds/LeelaSmall
Summary: Even after facing some uncertainties on the matter, Leela finds herself with a little "bun in the oven". Now she and Steve have to get ready for a new stage in their lives. [Original publish date: May 20, 2015]





	1. A Brief Discussion

_"_ _I'm French! _ _Why do think I have this outrageous accent, you silly king!"_

_"_ _What are you doing in England?"_

_"_ _Mind your own business!"_

_"_ _If you will not show us the Grail, we shall take your castle by force!"_

_"_ _You don't frighten us, English pig-dogs! _ _Go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person! _ _I blow my nose at you, so-called Arthur-king, you and all your silly English kaniggets!"_

She mouthed the lines as each character spoke, without missing a single word, occasionally having to stop to let out a hearty chuckle. 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' had been Leela's favorite movie ever since she was a little girl. She had lost count of how many times she had watched it, but every time she did she laughed as hard as if it were the first time.

Next to her, seemingly bored out of his mind, sat her husband. Steve Small, who had already watched that movie with her countless times, had his head propped on his arms and tried as best as he could to stay awake. After they got married, Leela moved into his house, since it was big enough for the both of them, avoiding the painful process of house hunting. It was already three months into their marriage, and life was good. So far the only major responsibilities they had were work, paying rent and Steve's blue one-eyed dog Lennon, who was currently resting on Leela's lap, occasionally having his ears scratched by the lemur. Still, he felt like something was missing.

Just as the French guards started catapulting cows towards King Arthur and his knights, an idea crossed his mind. A rather good one, at that; an idea which spread a mischievous grin across his face. Leela was literally standing on the edge of her seat, her focus solely on the screen in front of her, when suddenly she felt weight falling on her shoulders. Turning around, she saw her husband had placed his arm around her.

"Something on your mind?" she asked as she cocked her brow and smiled knowingly at him.

"Oh, I might have a little something…" he leaned in to kiss her.

"OK, but can it wait?" she turned her attention back to the TV. "We're almost at the part about the Knights Who Say Ni!"

"Come on, you've watched this movie about a hundred times now!" he calmly protested. "You've even seen the musical based on it!"

"Yeah, that was a riot…" she chuckled to herself.

"It's Thursday night, and for once none of us are too tired from work." He cupped her cheeks with his hands and looked pleadingly into her eyes. "Can we please just enjoy each other's company tonight?"

Leela sighed; he was right. Almost every day they came home so exhausted because of their jobs that all they did was have dinner and fall asleep in front of the TV while watching the first thing they deemed good enough on cable. It was only fair for them to make the best of the one night that didn't happen. She turned around and paused the DVD, the screen freezing at the title card for the Tale of Sir Robin.

"Alright, Mr. Smooth Operator, what exactly did you have in mind?"

He didn't waste any time with an answer, he simply pressed his lips against hers and held her as close as he could. She giggled into his mouth as she wrapped her arms around him, turning that into a full-on make out session. His hand slowly crept up her back and under her shirt, stopping at the clasp of her bra and trying to unhook it, which caused Leela to let out a small yelp and pull back.

"Hold on there, sailor!" she laughed. "I hope you brought protection."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you about that…" he suddenly turned nervous and looked away.

"About what?"

"Have you ever given any thought about… having children?"

Leela was a bit taken aback, if not shocked, with that question, and unfortunately it showed in her expression. Her eyes widened involuntarily and her smile vanished.

"W-well, I mean…" she stammered, trying to avoid his gaze. "H-have you?"

"To be honest, yes. I've always loved the idea of one day having a mini version of me." He smiled to himself. "Haven't you ever wanted that?"

"Well, I-I…" she took a deep breath to try and calm herself. "No. I have never wanted kids."

"Are you serious?" Steve seemed to be a little too surprised by that answer. "Why?"

"I don't know… The whole idea of childbirth terrifies me. And I think I would be a terrible mother."

"That's nonsense, you'd make a fantastic mother! You're great with kids."

"I know, but still..." she shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "And don't you think it's a little soon to be thinking about that? We've only been married for three months."

"Well, when my mother had me she wasn't even married, and that didn't seem to bother her." He grinned comically at her, to which she just frowned and crossed her arms. He sighed. "I guess it is a bit too soon…"

"Tell you what, let's give it a few more months and then we'll see if we're ready." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan." He smiled weakly at her.

"Awesome. Now can we keep watching the movie?"

He nodded and Leela pressed play on the remote, the movie coming back to life as the narrator explained where Sir Robin and his minstrels had wandered off to. Steve tried to pay attention to the film this time, but his mind was too preoccupied. He couldn't stop thinking of what his wife had said. Would she really be willing to try in a few months, or would she just keep the same mentality? Only time would tell…

* * *

The following morning Steve was feeling better about the matter discussed the previous night. He figured she had a point; it really was too soon to be thinking about such a life-changing thing as having a child. The fact was his mother had a lot of help from her parents when she had him. Both his and Leela's family were too far away, so it would be unfair to ask for their help if they were to conceive right now. It was only rational to wait a little longer, just until they were absolutely sure they were ready for such a big step.

He had just finished having breakfast and was climbing up the stairs to the second floor with the intention of taking a shower, when he heard the water running in the bathroom. Poking his head in the room, he saw his wife's silhouette washing herself behind the fogged up glass, humming a tune to herself that he immediately recognized as the song 'There! Right There!' from 'Legally Blonde: The Musical'. Steve chuckled to himself; his wife sure had peculiar tastes. That trail of thought was quickly pushed to the back of his mind as another brilliant idea rolled into it, and he quickly started pulling off his pajama sweater over his head.

Leela let the warm water fall over her head and sighed in complete satisfaction. That was the only time of day she felt she could really relax. She let her mind wander, the water cleansing her head as well as her body. She was so immersed in her own personal thoughts, she didn't even hear the shower door sliding open and quickly being closed right after. Before she knew it, a pair of arms had wrapped themselves around her waist, the fright almost causing her to jump out of her skin.

"Holy Toledo, Steve!" she turned her head around just enough to face her husband, who was butt-naked and hugging her tightly against his chest. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, I didn't meant to frighten you." He replied in a sultry tone, a wide smile on his face. "I just wanted to take a shower."

"Well, couldn't you have waited until after I got out?" she placed her hands on his, not exactly making an effort to free herself from his grasp.

"I could've, but that wouldn't be any fun, would it?"

Before she could protest, he moved his right hand from around her torso and brought it down to the one place where he knew she was the most sensitive: the spot where her tail met her lower back. As soon as he touched that area, Leela immediately felt a wave of immense heat wash over her body and involuntarily let out an almost embarrassingly loud moan. She was glad Steve was holding her, for her knees got so week she would've fallen against the wet tile floor for sure. She felt her cheeks burn, not sure if due to the sudden arousal or the awkwardness she was feeling. She looked back at her husband again, whose grin seemed to have grown a few inches.

"You know me too well." She said almost breathlessly before turning completely around and smashing her lips against his, throwing her arms around his neck and knocking him back against the wall behind him.

Steve didn't miss a beat and kissed back just as hard, his hands moving up and down every inch of her body, and just like that, all the worries from the night before were completely thrown out the window.


	2. An Accidental Surprise

She slowly and difficultly opened her eyes, her eyelids feeling as heavy as lead. A splitting headache pounded in her head and her stomach was doing backflips. To put it simply, she felt like absolute crap.

Leela couldn't remember the last time she had woken up feeling so exhausted. She had felt like that all night, barely being able to catch any shuteye. She was used to waking up moderately tired due to her night terrors, but she hadn't had those for months now, and she felt far more drained than she ever did when she had them. She had no idea what could be the cause of this.

She sluggishly lifted herself up from her soft mattress, her body rigid and unwilling to move. She winced as her head pounded even more painfully and noticed that Steve wasn't in bed. Right away she caught a whiff of what she immediately recognized as freshly made pancakes coming from downstairs. Her stomach seemed to contort itself even more as the aroma went through her, but she smiled nonetheless. Her husband had the habit of making breakfast for her from time to time, and when he did he always made sure it was special. Despite her indisposed state, she wanted to show gratitude for his efforts.

She managed, with some struggle, to get out of bed and had to practically drag herself out of the room and down the stairs towards the kitchen, where the smell of fried batter was stronger and where she saw her husband bent over the counter next to the stove, sliding one last pancake onto the growing stack on a plate. As soon as he turned around with the plate in his hand, the proud smile on his face vanished and was replaced with a concerned expression.

"Hey." He whispered, placing the full plate on the table and walking up to his wife. "Do you feel alright? You don't look so good."

"I'll be fine." She replied as he took a hand to her forehead. "I didn't sleep very well, but I'll survive."

"Do you want to stay home and rest? I can explain the situation to Nigel, he won't mind."

"No, you don't need to do that. Trust me, I'll be fine. I just need some coffee."

"Well, why don't you sit yourself down and I'll grab you a cup?" he gently pushed her towards a chair in front of the table.

"Thank you." She sighed as she took in the scent of the food in front of her. "And thank you for making breakfast."

"My pleasure. You know I love to cook." He poured some coffee from the full pot into a mug and handed it to her. "And I know how much I love chocolate chip pancakes."

She pulled one of the aforementioned cakes into her plate, cut off a piece and took it into her mouth, savoring the sweet taste as Steve sat on the chair across from her, smiling as he awaited for her to tell him how the meal was.

"Wow." She said as she swallowed the chewed food. "This is really – "

She didn't have time to finish her sentence. All she had time to do was cover her mouth as she ran up to the kitchen sink, where she threw up everything she had in her stomach with quite an unpleasant sound. Steve just watched her wide-eyed as she turned around after she had finished and held a hand against her mouth in case any more fluids threatened to escape her digestive system.

"Geez, are they that bad?" he asked with a disappointed expression, looking down at his own plate.

"No, they're delicious!" she assured him, gulping down some remnants of vomit in her mouth. "They really are. I just woke up feeling really sick and I have no idea why. I must've caught some sort of stomach bug or somethi – "

She trailed off as her gaze fell on the calendar on the wall. Her heart started racing as she mentally did the math, resorting to counting her fingers and mouthing some words that Steve couldn't hear. When she reached the fourth finger on her right hand her eyes widened and her face got even paler than it already was.

"Oh my gosh…" she covered her mouth again, this time in shock.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked, more confused than concerned.

"I'm late…"

"What do you mean?" he looked up at the clock on the wall. "It's only a quarter past seven."

"No, Steve…" her expressions turned serious. "I'm LATE."

It took him a while to understand what she meant, but when the information finally reached his brain he almost choked on his own saliva.

"You… really?" he stammered as he quickly rose from his seat and walked up to her. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." She nodded as she hugged herself. "I was supposed to have it five days ago."

Steve could feel his heart pounding against his chest, knowing very well what 'it' was. Words didn't need to be spoken; they both knew what they had to do next. They quickly finished breakfast, got dressed and drove to the pharmacy to buy… a pregnancy test.

They had called the school and said there was a chance they could be late that morning due to Leela being a bit under the weather, which was true. Principal Brown assured them that there was no problem, so that was one less thing to worry about. After the awkward trip to the local pharmacy, where they just picked the cheapest pregnancy test they could find and the pharmacist behind the counter smiled knowingly at them, Leela locked herself in the bathroom as she read the test's instructions. They seemed fairly simple: remove it from the packaging, pee on it and then wait for three minutes. Rather easy steps for such an arduous task.

Steve couldn't keep his foot from tapping against the floor as he sat on the bed and waited for his wife to come out of the bathroom. He scolded himself mentally; how could they have been so careless? They really weren't ready for this, no matter how much he wanted it to happen. He thought back and realized he was the one to blame for this. If he hadn't had that 'bright idea' a week ago, they wouldn't even be in this situation. He lightly punched himself on the forehead, blaming his dirty mind for everything, when he heard the bathroom door unlock. He saw Leela coming out, looking just as nervous as him.

"Three minutes." She said as she scratched her forearm. "All we can do now is wait."

Steve smiled sympathetically at her and patted the spot on the bed next to him for her to sit on. She walked towards the spot and plopped down on top of the smooth comforter, burying her face in her hands and letting out a long sigh. Steve patted her softly on the back.

"I'm sorry." He murmured, the guilt heavy on his conscience. "This is all my fault."

"What do you mean?" she raised her head and gave him a quizzical look.

"You never wanted kids, and I basically just forced into getting pregnant. If I just –"

"Now hold on just a minute!" she suddenly exclaimed. "First of all, this is as much my fault as it is yours. Secondly, you didn't force me into anything! And lastly…" she grabbed his hands and gave him a warm smile. "…if I really am pregnant, I won't regret it one bit. I will be honored to carry your child."

He smiled widely at her and pulled her into a hug. Leela embraced her husband tightly, emotional from her own heart-felt speech and possibly the extra hormones that were flowing through her system. She noticed the clock on the small table beside the bed; the three minutes were up.

"It's time."

She loosened her grasp on her husband and pulled him up by the hand as she headed back to the bathroom. They walked hand in hand towards the sink, where Leela had left the test, and as she picked it up their eyes widened to size of dinner plates. There in front of them, in the lemur's furry grey paw, the small object's digital screen showed a blue plus sign.

They turned towards each other at the same time and grinned.

"We're having a baby!" Leela exclaimed joyfully.

Steve held his wife in another hug and twirled her around as they both laughed excitedly. They shared one of the most passionate kisses they remembered sharing as tears menaced to fall from their eyes.

"We need to start thinking of names!" Steve affirmed as he held onto Leela's waist.

"Isn't it a little soon for that?" Leela chuckled.

"I know, but I'm just so excited!" he squeezed her tighter against him. "Plus I've always loved the possibility of having a soon named Steve Junior."

Leela just giggled at her husband's silliness as she cuddled against his chest. She loved that man more than anything else in the world, and now they were having a child together. There was no greater proof of their love than that.


	3. Boy or Girl?

Despite their initial fears and doubts on the matter, Steve and Leela couldn't help but be overjoyed. They promised themselves they wouldn't speak a word of the pregnancy to anyone until they were absolutely sure, somehow afraid to jinx it, but the word started to spread quicker than they thought. After Leela told her parents, they told her sisters. Violet told Rocky, whom she had been dating since the wedding, who told Principal Brown, and before they knew it the whole school had found out, including the students, who in return shared the news with their parents. Eventually it seemed like the entire town knew they were expecting.

After a doctor's appointment that confirmed their suspicions, Steve and Leela started planning for the arrival of their little one. They knew it was still a bit early, but none of them were very keen on waiting, so they just went and spent half their paychecks in all the essentials: onesies, hats, socks, blankets, bibs, diapers, ointments, toys, bottles, a safety seat for their van, a small tub for bathing, a stroller and a crib, among other things that weren't quite all that indispensable. Of course, since they didn't know the baby's gender yet, they had to buy all those items in neutral colors. They opted for green, thinking it would be a nice color, both of them being nature-lovers and all. Soon their drawers were full of tiny articles of clothing in several shades of green, from artichoke to viridian.

As time went by the bulge on Leela's stomach became more apparent and there was no denying now that she really was pregnant. Although she was over the moon about, it didn't make the process any easier for her. Every morning she would wake up nauseated, most of the time having to race to the bathroom to throw up, she would start sobbing uncontrollably and always felt hungry, sometimes craving unthinkably bizarre things. At one point she actually felt like eating meat, but the thought alone made her more nauseous than the morning sickness.

As happy as they were, they seemed to be anxious more than anything. Not exactly for the birth; that was still far away. They wanted to know the gender of their future offspring. They didn't really prefer one over the other, but the anticipation was killing them. They had agreed on one name for each gender already, and they were eager to know which one they would be using.

Before they knew it four months had passed, and it was time for Leela's twenty-week ultrasound. As she and Steve sat in the waiting room, expecting to be called in soon, the lemur held on to her husband's hand tightly as she nervously rubbed circles around her swollen abdomen, which seemed to grow more protuberant by the day.

"I don't know exactly why, but this place gives me the creeps." She declared as she eyed all the pregnant women in the room, some of them still teenagers.

"I know what you mean, but look on the bright side." Steve wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her an encouraging grin. "Today we know if it's a boy or a girl."

He lightly patted her stomach, causing Leela to giggle due to her skin now being very sensitive around that area. She smiled back at her husband, again thanking the heavens for blessing her with such a loving companion.

"Small?"

They both jerked their heads towards entrance of the doctor's office, where there stood a nurse holding a clipboard. They quickly got up from their seats and followed her inside, where the doctor was waiting next to the examination table with a bright smile across his face. He had been accompanying the pregnancy since day one, so they felt completely at ease with him. He was the one who confirmed that Leela was expecting. He must've been in his early thirties and was a nice and caring person; every woman's dream obstetrician.

"Welcome back, folks!" He greeted them as he turned on the ultrasound machine. "Are you ready for the big reveal?"

"As ready as we'll ever be." Leela chuckled as she leaned against her husband.

"Awesome. Would you do the honors?"

He gestured towards the examination table, which Leela immediately understood was the request for her to lie down on the aforementioned place. When she was ready and comfortable, she rolled up her baggy t-shirt over her abdomen and the doctor covered the spot with a cold blue gel to help the scanning process. He picked up the scanner and started running it across Leela's protuberance as he attentively examined the image that was being transmitted to the screen next to them.

Steve squeezed Leela's hand in his as they saw the slightly disfigured being that was their future offspring. Even if it was just a monochromatic representation of what was growing inside the lemur, they could swear they saw some similarities to both of them.

"Just need to find the right angle… There!" the doctor suddenly spoke up, holding the scanner on the lower left side of Leela's stomach. He turned to the expecting parents, his smile wider than before. "You guys see that?"

"I don't know…" Steve squinted as he tried to make even the slightest relevant detail. "What are we supposed to see?"

"This right here." He pointed at a very small crevice at the bottom of the fetus' form. "There's no mistaking that. Congratulations, folks. You're expecting a baby girl."

Steve unintentionally squeezed Leela's hand even tighter as he felt a wave of emotions wash over him. He looked down at his wife, who was barely able to contain her tears as well.

"A girl." He said, his voice cracking slightly. Leela sniffled and placed her free hand on the screen, almost feeling her unborn child's life force.

"Our little girl." She whispered as some tears rolled down her cheeks. "Our little Olivia."


	4. It's Time!

As Leela's pregnancy progressed, so did her symptoms. Her morning sickness eventually disappeared, but her wild cravings remained, and sometimes she would binge eat to the point of becoming nauseated. She still felt very emotional; any little detail could set her off. Steve had to be careful when talking to her, especially after she started sobbing uncontrollably when he commented that the dinner she had cooked was a little bland.

It was clear to both of them that their daughter was going to be a big baby. Every day it seemed like Leela's abdomen gained volume and weight, easily justified with the fact that she was now 'eating for two'. When her final month arrived, she looked like she was about to explode.

In an effort to keep her emotions at bay, Steve decided to have her take daily meditation sessions, like he usually did. The two would sit on top of their desks during quiet hours of work, when they were sure they had nothing else to do, and just let their minds wander as they listened to soothing nature sounds in the background, compliments of Steve's trusty boombox.

"Just give yourself up to the waves of the cosmos…" he whispered after a deep breath, sitting in a half lotus position with the palms of his hands clasped against each other and his eyes closed. "Don't you feel at peace with the universe?"

"I feel very uncomfortable, actually." Leela replied as she shifted in place. "I don't think I can sit like this anymore."

"Well, just try to sit in a way you feel comfortable."

She opted to slide her legs under herself and just kneel on the table, at least until she felt the circulation on her legs was being cut off.

"OK, ready."

"Good. Now just close your eyes and listen to the peaceful sounds of the forest." He inhaled once more, now imagining each scenario that came with each noise that enacted from the old CD player. "The wind blowing through the leafs… the birds chirping amongst each other… the trickling of the babbling brook against the rocks…"

"Actually, that was me."

His eyes shot open and his head quickly turned towards his wife, who was holding onto her stomach with her sweat pants completely soaked.

"Your water broke?" he gasped as he leapt from the desk and ran towards her. "We need to get you to the hospital!" he started pacing around frantically for no reason. "Oh gosh, this is too soon! You weren't due until next week! Should I call 911? What do I –"

"STEVE!" Leela yelled. He finally stopped his panicked monologue enough to look at her and see she was giving him the sternest look he had ever seen. "I want you to calm down, close the office and drive us both to the hospital. NOW."

"Right, OK…" he replied between ragged breaths as he helped her up.

They arrived at the hospital not twenty minutes later, after explaining the situation to Principal Brown and some of the faculty and students who saw them walking down the hallway. After requesting help from a nurse, Leela was quickly taken to the delivery room in a gurney, the doctor shouting orders to the nurses around her and Steve holding tightly onto her hand. Steve was given the choice to either stay in the delivery room or wait outside with some other expecting fathers, to which he chose the first option. Not long after, the doctor, the nurses and Steve were all wearing scrubs and assisting Leela as she gave birth to her child.

"You're doing great, honey!" Steve encouraged her as he filmed the entire thing with his camera. "Don't forget to breathe!"

"Mr. Small, are you sure you want to be filming this?" the doctor asked worriedly. "It seems highly unethical."

"Nonsense. The miracle of birth is a beautiful thing! I wouldn't want to miss a minute of it."

"Doctor, I can see the head!" one of the nurses exclaimed, clearly horrified.

As soon as that image reached his eyes, Steve felt all the color he had left, if he actually had any, drain away from him. His body started to feel numb and before he knew it everything went black.

* * *

"The poor guy… Are you sure he's gonna be alright?"

"Oh yeah, I know him. He's had much worse."

His eyes started to slowly open as he heard those familiar voices around him. As his vision adjust to the light of the room, Steve could make out two figures standing over him: a raccoon with long darkish-red hair and glasses, and an orange fuzzy creature with a striped nose.

"Violet? Rocky?" he asked groggily as he looked from one to another. "What are you doing here?"

"Rocky told me Leela was in labor, so we both rushed here." Violet replied. "When we arrived the nurses were trying to reanimate you."

"Yeah, you passed out in there, dude." Added Rocky. "The doctor told us to bring you out here for some air."

Steve pushed himself up. He felt his head pounding, no doubt from hitting it against the floor when he lost consciousness. He rubbed one particular sore spot on the back of it as he examined his surroundings, finally realizing they were in the waiting room. Turning to his left, he saw the door to the delivery room where Leela was.

"How long was I out?" he inquired, his eyes glued to the door.

"A little over fiteen minutes." Said his sister-in-law as she adjusted her glasses atop her nose. "We haven't heard any news in the meantime."

"I'm worried. I should be in there with her."

"Don't be. I know Leela, she's a strong one. If she went through all those bad times in her life and survived, I'm sure this will be a breeze for her."

She smiled kindly at him. She had a beautiful smile, one that could calm anyone down. Steve couldn't help but smile in return, until one thought crossed his mind.

"Wait a minute, what are you doing here?" he asked in a surprised manner. Violet blinked confusedly.

"I told you, Rocky told me Leela was in labor so we rushed here." She placed her hand on his forehead. "Did you get a concussion? I've read about people who suffered from short term memory loss after hitting their heads."

"No, I'm fine!" he laughed as he drew her hand away from his face. "I meant what are you doing HERE, in America! There's no way you could've jumped on a plane and gotten here in less than an hour!"

Violet and Rocky exchanged glances, smiling at each other. Steve understood everything right away.

"You were already here, weren't you?"

"Well…" she blushed "…I took some time off to come over and spend it with Rocky." She eyed the orange creature with a grin and held his hand. "We weren't going to tell anyone just yet, but… we're planning to move in together."

"That's great!" Steve beamed. "So you're moving to Elmore?"

"Yup!" she giggled.

"Excellent! I'm sure Leela will be thrilled to hear that. But what about your job? I thought you had been hired by the University you studied at."

"I was, but that wasn't the only job I applied for." She reached for her pocket and took out her cell phone. After clicking on the screen a few times, she turned it and handed it to Steve. "Read this."

The first thing that caught Steve's eye was the sender: Elmore Community College. As he read down, his heart skipped a beat and he couldn't help but gasp.

_Subject: Employment Offer_

_Dear Miss Winters,_

_Thank you for coming to the interview. We were quite impressed with your skills, especially from someone of such young age, and would like to offer you the position of Experimental Neurobiologist. You will be conducting experiments and studies in one of our laboratories, and you may be occasionally asked to give a class on the matter._

_If the terms we discussed are acceptable to you, please come in at 9.30 AM on June 27_ _th_ _. At the time we will ask you to complete our personnel form and sign the employment contract._

_Everyone here at Elmore Community College is looking forward to working with you._

_Sincerely,_

_Dean Monica Ravinowitz_

"You actually managed to get a job here?" Steve finally spoke again after reading the e-mail several times.

"I did! Isn't it awesome?" Violet was practically exploding with joy.

"It sure is! And June 27th, that's tomorrow!"

"I know, I can't wait!"

"Mr. Small?"

Everyone fell silent as they all turned to door beside them, where the doctor stood with an exhausted expression on his face. Steve involuntarily stood up and walked up to the physician.

"Is something wrong?" the cloud man asked, his heart beating heavily against his chest. "Is Leela alright?"

"She's just fine." The doctor assured him with a grin. "I just wanted to know if you want to come in and meet your daughter."

His heart skipped a beat again. This was it. The moment he had been waiting for. After nine long nerve-racking months he was finally going to see his daughter for the first time. He had no idea why, but he was nervous. Was it the anticipation? It must've been…

He nodded and followed the doctor inside, wondering if he should've invited Violet and Rocky to go in with him, but that thought didn't last long. As soon as he entered the room he could feel his hear swell up with the adorable scene in front of him: there was his wife, her hair a complete mess and looking as tired as ever, slowly and carefully rocking a something small in a pink blanket back and forth in her arms. She noticed him come in and beamed at him.

"Hi, daddy!" she giggled overexcitedly. "I'm glad you're finally awake."

"How are you?" he quickly made his way to her side, placing his arm around her shoulders. "How is she?"

"She's just perfect."

She turned the little one towards him, and as soon as his gaze met her, he had to try extra hard to keep the tears in.

If there had been any doubt before if Olivia was really Steve's daughter, there wasn't anymore. She was the spitting image of her father: her white head was fluffy and shaped just liked his and her eyes were the exact same color as his own. The only traits she had gotten from her mother were a tiny pink nose and two small pointy white ears on her head, which almost made her look like a kitten. Leela was right; she really was perfect.

"She's beautiful!" Steve commented, reaching to grab hold of her. "She looks just like me!"

"Yeah, except the ears and the nose. Oh, and she has a tail, too!" Leela explained as she pulled a section of the blanket to reveal a semi-long white tail. The end was black, just like the tips of her ears.

"Well, I'm glad she takes after you in some ways." He chuckled as he held her close.

She seemed to observe him with much curiosity, almost like she was wondering who this strange man was. After a while she let out a yawn and closed her eyes, nuzzling against his chest as she fell asleep. Steve bit his lip, tears now rolling down his cheeks as he thought how absolutely adorable his daughter was.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this emotional before." Said Leela as she sat up better. "It's actually kind of cute."

"I can't help it. She's… precious." He replied as he wiped his face with his hand.

He leaned down and gave his wife the most passionate kiss he could manage. This was without a doubt one of the best days of their lives. Looking back down at the snoozing baby in his arms, he couldn't help but feel proud. Soon this tiny living being would start growing up, learning, making mistakes… probably causing problems, like all infants do. He couldn't wait until he could teach her all he knew about life and all things related to it, helping her with every step she took to become a better person.

Thinking back, he couldn't believe his luck. Who knew that an accident could turn out to be such a beautiful thing?


End file.
